Nearly half of Swiss residents in Geneva have more than one nationality

No other Swiss canton comes close. The next highest are Ticino (29.2%), Vaud (27.6%) and Neuchâtel (26.7%). The German-speaking cantons of Basel-City (23.8%), Zurich (20.5%) and Zug (15.3%) are next.

Of the total Swiss holding more than one nationality, 64% became Swiss by naturalization and 49% were born in Switzerland, something that doesn’t automatically qualify someone for citizenship in Switzerland as it does in many North and South American nations and to a lesser extent in several others.

Across Switzerland the top 10 most common second nationalities, as a percentage of those Swiss with a second nationality, are Italian (24.7%), French (11.2%), German (7.8%), Turkish (4.4%), Spanish (3.8%), Portuguese (3.7%), Serbian (3.7%), Kosovar (2.6%), UK (2.5%) and Croatia (2.2%).

The data comes from Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office. All figures are for 2016 and were released in September 2018.